Visitors to Colorado who get high on marijuana are turning up at the emergency room in higher numbers than those who use the drug and live here, according to a study by the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The study, which will appear in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feb. 25, found that the number of emergency room visits to the University of Colorado Hospital, possibly related to marijuana, doubled among those from out-of-state, while remaining steady for residents, from 2013 to 2014.
The study doesn t positively peg marijuana use as the cause of the visit, said Andrew Monte, assistant professor of emergency medicine and toxicology, at the CU School of Medicine.
Realistically, these visits could have marijuana mentioned at one point if they came and had a heart attack and said they did smoke a week ago, that would be reflected, Monte said.
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However, marijuana can exacerbate problems from anxiety, to heart disease, psychosis, and gastrointestinal difficulties, Monte said.
Chronic heavy users can have , he said, a problem that some of those who came in with gastrointestinal problems were experiencing.
The drug speeds up the heart rate, and causes a drop in blood pressure, which can have an adverse effect on those with heart conditions.
The most common complaints bringing users to the emergency department were gastrointestinal, followed by psychiatric, and then cardio pulmonary problems.
Like many prescription drugs, Monte said, pot should be considered a drug with potential side effects.
While some of those who needed emergency care after taking edibles or smoking weed came to Colorado to get high legally, others came for business, or other reasons.
The number of emergency room visits to the University of Colorado Hospital possibly related to pot among out-of-state residents, climbed from 85 per 10,000 visits in 2013, to 168 per 10,000 in 2014, the first year of retail marijuana sales in the state, the study found.
During the same period, visits by state residents didn t change significantly, going from 106 per 10,000 visits in 2013, to 112 the following year.
Colorado Hospital Association data showed an increase in the same time period among out of state visitors, from 112 per 10,000 visits in 2013, to 163 per 10,000, in the following year.
The CHA data for in-state resident showed a rise in ER visits from 86 per 10,000 visits in 2013, to 101 in 2014.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or @dpmcghee
